Al-Qaida Terror: This Time, Africa

Terrorism: Sadly, Spain's World Cup triumph was marred by a Somali terror strike on Uganda. It brought back memories of how Spain fled Iraq after al-Qaida's attack in 2004  a response Africa shouldn't repeat.

The bombings that killed 74 soccer fans watching the World Cup championship between Spain and the Netherlands on Sunday night had all the earmarks of a classic al-Qaida operation: They targeted large crowds of bystanders; the victims were multinational, with Irish, Indian, American, Ethiopian, Eritrean and Ugandan nationals among the dead; the blasts occurred almost simultaneously in two places; and it happened on a date ending in 11.

The attacks also signaled another al-Qaida junior partner in terrorism  al-Shabab of Somalia, whose ties to al-Qaida are similar to Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia or the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Al-Shabab, which claimed "credit" for the suicide attacks, already controls a third of Somalia's land and has ambitions of conquering all of it. African Union troops, which support the weak Somali government, are all that stands in their way.

"Al-Shabab was behind the blasts," said Ali Mohamud Rage, the terrorist gang's spokesman. "Thanks to our martyrs who carried out the attacks."

Al-Shabab had at least two motives for Sunday's attack: its Talibanic hatred of soccer, music, drinking and all "unnecessary fun," and the gang's political goal of driving Uganda's African Union troops out of Somalia so that al-Shabab can take over. Uganda has an election soon, and al-Shabab wants to use terror to drive Ugandans to elect someone who'll remove Uganda's peacekeepers from Somalia.

This is exactly what al-Qaida did in Spain in 2004, when its suicide terrorists launched attacks on Madrid commuter trains days before an election, killing 191. After Spain's 3/11 attacks, Spanish voters caved in to al-Qaida by electing an anti-American leader who quickly withdrew Spanish troops from Iraq.

At the time, the enemy insurgency in Iraq was led by al-Qaida.

If this new round of attacks on Africa persuades African Union troops to leave Somalia, then al-Qaida will get the failed state it seeks as a safe haven, now that it's running out of places to hide.

In short, the attack on Africa represents a critical raising of the stakes in the global war on terror.

Ugandan authorities note that the gang has been sending threats to African Union countries since at least October, but until now has not acted on them. This strike represents these terrorists' first attack outside their own borders, and more are likely on the way.

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